For Arizona State University students, innovation starts on day one, and the Pitchforks team proved it. The team of first-year students won the Best-In-Destruction Award at the 2025 ASM International DomesDay competition in Detroit, Michigan.
Established in 2014 by ASM student board members, DomesDay brings together teams from universities around the world to experiment, problem-solve and gain hands-on materials engineering experience by designing and testing small-scale geodesic domes.
This year, 10 teams from around the world were judged in various categories, all working toward a shared goal: creating a dome that blends structural performance, material innovation and creative design.
“I hadn’t been to a national competition before,” says Katelyn Flores, a materials science and engineering major who attended the competition. “As a first-year student, I was not confident competing against upper-class students.”
At ASU, the preparation for the competition began in FSE 101, a first-year course taught by Hamed Arami, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU. Arami divided the class of 40 students into 10 groups and challenged them to create a dome.
The domes were tested under a compression machine, measuring the force at which the structure would fail. Based on their dome’s mechanical performance and strong collaboration, Arami selected two teams to represent ASU at DomesDay: Pitchforks and Devils Dome.
But the process wasn’t smooth sailing.
Arami says that because each team was allowed to use any material of their choice to build their domes, the two best teams initially struggled to decide.
“They had many options to choose from, including polymers and ceramics,” Arami says. “In the end, both teams chose stainless steel.”
That choice introduced a new challenge: ASM had a weight limit of 2.0 kg.
That was bad news for the Pitchforks team. Just a few weeks before the competition, their dome, while mechanically the strongest, exceeded the limit by a kilogram.
“So, they had to rethink and redesign their dome,” Arami says. “They found creative ways to decrease the diameter of the steel rods they were using and optimize the geometry of the dome. It slowed them down because they had to make new rods, but they eventually solved that problem. So, I encouraged them to register for DomesDay.”
While reimagining their design, instead of focusing on strength, the team optimized its dome to fail in a less destructive way than the competition. By welding stainless steel rods in a carefully considered geometry, the team engineered the geometrical structure of the dome so that the joints, which generally act as stress concentration points, would fail in a designed order that minimized destruction during collapse.
That approach mirrors the real-world considerations DomesDay is designed to explore.
“How a building fails is very important,” Arami says. “Whether it’s a full collapse or whether some parts break first can determine how many people die. Pitchforks members designed their dome with that understanding in mind.”
After a rigorous evaluation process, the team won the award for, as the certificate states, “the dome with the most spectacular failure.”
“It was amazing to be able to represent ASU as a first-year student,” Flores says. “I was surprised at how many opportunities there were to make connections with people who are well-established in materials science and engineering.
Teaching students to solve problems together
Arami says he’s proud of the Pitchforks and Devils Dome teams for their ability to work together to solve problems.
“They were excellent team workers,” he says.
He adds that one of the main objectives of the FSE 101 class is to teach students how to be creative, and for him, collaboration is the key.
“Some students don’t like to talk. But after several weeks of working in groups, I see changes,” Arami says. “The shy students start talking in class and expressing their opinions. I find that very interesting and important.”
The competition provided first-year students with the opportunity to design a solution under real constraints and trade-offs. While that’s important, Arami thinks they acquired something far more valuable.
“They developed the confidence and belief in themselves that they can think creatively and do great things,” he says. “Beyond design, software, or how to choose materials with higher mechanical properties, I wanted them to learn how to deal with each other’s different opinions and motivations to reach a goal. I’m happy to say that they achieved that.”
Flores says she’s proud of her team’s accomplishments at the competition. She adds that the experience made her feel inspired to continue advancing and excelling in materials science and engineering.
“The experience was inspiring,” she says. “It was a great chance to make connections in the field and practice communication, leadership and collaboration skills. … I’m looking forward to competing more.”
